The present invention relates to the increased number and magnitude of forest fires and, more particularly, to a machine that clears brush and converts the brush into bio fuels.
Large forest fires are a rapidly increasing problem in the Western United States and Canada, and millions of dollars are being spent to control them. The effort is limited by available funds. However when fires break out, billions of dollars are spent on an emergency basis, extinguishing them and repairing the damage.
Treating forests to reduce the strength and number of fires is an ongoing activity, however, according to the USDA Forest Service, “Treatment costs are increased by a need to treat large numbers of low-volume stems less than 4 inches in diameter. Gross costs can range from $35 to over $1000 per acre depending on type of operation, terrain, and the number of trees treated . . . . While 86% of the trees that would be cut are less than 10 inches, most of the volume that would be treated comes from the 14% of the trees that are larger than 10 inches in diameter. This is the central dilemma of fuel reduction treatments—large numbers of small diameter trees with relatively little volume that can be feasibly utilized must be treated.” The presently available equipment used to carry out this work was designed for conventional timber harvesting and is not appropriate for the problem of ladder fuel reduction.
As can be seen, there is a need for a harvesting machine that reduces ladder fuel.